What’s Streaming This Week (10/18 – 10/25)

Welcome to When To Stream’s Weekly Preview! Every week, we take a closer look at the major film streaming releases scheduled to launch in the next 7 days. As always, release dates are subject to change.

Another note: We provide links to digital retailers (when available) and do receive a very small commission for any purchases made from this website. If you’d like to support our work, and you’re looking to buy through any of our retail partners, we’d appreciate it if you’d click through.

Here are this week’s highlights:

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Tuesday, October 20th, 2026

BY ANY MEANS – $24.99 Sale / $19.99

Cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas and Ethan Embry

Synopsis: A volatile partnership between a hardened mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent are forced into an uneasy alliance to track down those responsible for the killing of civil rights leaders — uncovering a conspiracy that tests the limits of justice, loyalty and survival.

What we like:

• The second narrative feature from filmmaker Elegance Bratton, whose 2022 directorial debut was the well-reviewed (if under seen) The Inspection.
• Sascha Penn and Theodore Witcher developed the script under the title ** CI-34 **, and it appeared on the prestigious Black List of unproduced screenplays.
• While the central historical events are real, the filmmakers weren’t attempting to make a completely faithful docu-drama. Bratton has described the goal as pursuing emotional truth while using fictionalized elements to explore the period.

What we don’t like:

• The family of real-life slain civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer Sr. (played by Giancarlo Esposito) publicly condemned the film, stating that it undermines Dahmer’s legacy and misrepresents history. The family argued that the movie leans into a “white hero-savior trope” by heavily centering a fictionalized/fictitious partnership around a New York mafia hitman (Greg Scarpa, played by Wahlberg) rather than honoring Vernon Dahmer’s actual life and political work for voting rights.

TINY FUGITIVES – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Benjamin Pajak, Aaron Harris, Isa Steiner, Jai Soundar, Rob Yang, Alyssa Gervasi, Blake Anderson, Jay Baruchel

Synopsis: A reckless group of twelve year olds set out on a mission to spend the rest of their lives at sleepaway camp. They’ll just have to get past Bob – the camp’s deranged, relentless, 50-year-old lifer counselor.

What we like:

• This raunchy summer-camp comedy starring Johnny Knoxville is produced by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg, which is (almost always) an encouraging sign.
• Knoxville is Bob, a 50-year-old “lifer” counselor who knows all of Camp Fineman’s hiding places and becomes determined to stop the children from pulling off their plan to stay at camp year-round.
• Several of the young actors have other notable credits: Benjamin Pajak, who plays Jacob, appeared in The Life of Chuck, while Jai Soundar had a role in 2025’s Superman.

What we don’t like:

• Critics and audiences have debated the ethics and necessity of the film’s tone. Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter noted that the outrageous comedy would perfectly target an adolescent audience, except those very children are legally blocked from seeing it in theaters due to its strict R-rating.

THE WEIGHT – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio and Russell Crowe

Synopsis: In 1933 Oregon, Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through deadly wilderness, but betrayal festers within the crew, and Murphy questions how far he’ll go to see his child again.

What we like:

• Filmmaker Padraic McKinley’s feature debut, and he already has his next gig lined up. He is set to direct Sicario 3, the third installment in the action-thriller franchise, with a script written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, and returning stars Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin.
• Principal photography took place around Viechtach in Bavaria, which stands in for the Pacific Northwest. The production received approximately €2 million in support from FilmFernsehFonds Bayern.
• After its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, critics raved. It currently sits at 94% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

What we don’t like:

• Despite the stellar reviews, distributor Vertical Entertainment was unable to attract much of an audience in theaters. The film has earned only $3.6M at the domestic box-office.

Also Streaming Tuesday:

BEFORE WE FORGET

THE MUSICAL

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Wednesday, October 21st, 2026

Friday, October 23rd, 2026

THE CYCLE – Shudder

Cast: Deborah Ann Woll, Jeffrey Donovan, Will Hochman, Jack Doolan, Carl W. Crudup, Jeb Berrier, Gretchen Corbett, David Myers Gregory

Synopsis: When the body of a man missing for thirty-six years is discovered at the scene of a horrific crime, it’s up to his estranged daughter to unravel his dark past.

What we like:

• Jordan Downey directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Stewart. He previously directed The Head Hunter and contributed to Shudder’s V/H/S horror anthology series.
• The reviews so far have been extremely positive. It currently sits at 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with many particularly praising the film’s impressive practical effects.
• If you don’t believe the critics, maybe this guy can convince you to watch:

What we don’t like:

• There is key art floating around that reveals the film’s major twist. Before Shudder released their official poster, we put it up as a place-keeper, unaware that it was a spoiler. Sorry about that!

FINDING EMILY – Peacock

Cast: Angourie Rice, Spike Fearn, Minnie Driver

Synopsis: When a lovesick musician is given the wrong number for his dream girl, he teams up with a driven psychology student to find her. Together, they spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.

What we like:

• This British romantic comedy comes from Working Title Films, the production company behind some of the most iconic rom-coms in history, including Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Notting Hill.
• The film stars Angourie Rice, who’s best known for playing Betty Brandt in the Spider-Man films, and Spike Fearn, who’s best known for being one of the worst parts of Ella McCay (probably not his fault!).
• It’s the feature-directing debut of Alicia MacDonald, who previously directed mostly British television.

What we don’t like:

• Despite overall strong reviews (it currently sits at 90% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), there weren’t many takers at the box-office for Focus Features. The film managed to earn only about $1.5M.

THE INVITE – HBO Max

Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton

Synopsis: Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places. Have they reignited the spark or lit the match that burns it all down?

What we like:

• This hit comedy is an English-language remake of the acclaimed 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs (Sentimental), written by Cesc Gay. The adaptation was penned by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, who previously co-wrote the 2010 romantic comedy Celeste and Jesse Forever.
• Olivia Wilde delivers her third film as director, following the 2019 triumph Booksmart and the 2022 non-triumph Don’t Worry Darling, and this one’s a winner. It funny, smart, and Wilde’s direction demonstrates she getting stronger and stronger as a filmmaker. We can’t wait to see what she does next.
• There’s Oscar buzz building for Wilde, McCormack and Jones’ screenplay, and especially Penélope Cruz’s performance. All the actors are great here, and it would be terrific if the film snagged some Oscar nominations. We need more comedies in the Oscar race!
• Before the end credits, the film displays the message “To Diane.” Olivia Wilde explained that the dedication honors Diane Keaton, whose performances and encouragement were a major inspiration for the film.

What we don’t like:

• We were hoping this might catch fire at the box-office as an alternative to The Odyssey and Spider-Man, but it was not meant to be. The film reached about $26M domestically, which is not too shabby. But after winning a bidding war and paying $12M out of Sundance (where the film world premiered this year), A24 was likely hoping the numbers would be a bit more robust.

SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEST OF MOSSY BOTTOM – $19.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Cast: Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Kate Harbour

Synopsis: The residents of Mossy Bottom Farm looking forward to Halloween – until the clumsy Farmer trashes the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch! When Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, things rapidly spiral out of control. With the Farmer missing and a wild beast roaming the woods of Mossingham, all the ingredients are in place for a monstrously fun family adventure.

What we like:

• The third feature-length Shaun the Sheep movie from Aardman, and it sends Shaun and the flock into their first full-blown Halloween adventure. It combines stop-motion comedy with a playful monster-movie spoof.
• The film follows 2015’s Shaun the Sheep Movie and 2019’s A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Both previous films received BAFTA and Academy Award nominations.
• The British hip-hop duo Rizzle Kicks created a new remix of “Life’s a Treat,” Shaun’s iconic theme song, for the end credits. They previously reworked the song for the 2015 movie.

What we don’t like:

• Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews (it currently sits at 99% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), distributor GKIDS had a tough time getting audiences to theaters. It earned only $3.1M at the domestic box-office. Still…it’s well-timed to thrive on VOD for Halloween.

Also Streaming Friday:

LOVE LANGUAGE

RZA’S ONE SPOON OF CHOCOLATE

Happy Streaming Everyone!

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